Tag: Farmer’s Market

My mom taught me how to make refrigerator pickles several years ago when her garden exploded with cucumbers. We made a huge jar of them and ate them all summer. So when I found these adorable little sweet gherkins at the farmer’s market last weekend, I had to have them. Despite the fact that they are in canning jars, they are not canned. They won’t last more than a few weeks because they just keep getting more and more vinegary.

Want to make your own? It’s super simple. All you need is:

1 part water
1 part white vinegar
pepper corns
a dash of salt
a teaspoon of sugar for every 2 cups of liquid
cucumbers!

Any kind of cucumber will do, and you can cut them any way you like! Just wash and chop your cucumbers, stick them in the jar with everything else. Shake it up and stick it in the fridge. They will be ready in about 4 days and should keep for about a week after that or longer depending on your preference for vinegar!

Also, I sanitized my jars (by dipping them in a pot of boiling water for about half a minute each), but only because I use them all the time and felt like they needed it if they were going to sit in the fridge for a month.

Brooke and I tried our first pedal pops at the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Brooke’s was a spicy-Thai-mocha and mine was pineapple-something. (Sorry, not a great memory here.) They are made from raw, natural ingredients so if you’re looking for sticky sweet they aren’t what you’ll like. But if you like unique flavors, the real taste of real fruit, and chilling out on a hot day then they are definitely for you. This northwest Arkansas Popsicle vendor is the epitome of the Fayetteville vibe. The business actually has a cargo bike with a Popsicle cooler on it and though it’s usually stationary at the farmer’s market and other similar events, it can and has gone out on the trails. Sadly, the owner is moving to China soon so the business is up for sale and so far there aren’t any takers. We’ll be sad to see this one go and recommend that you grab yourself some Popsicle before it’s too late! You can follow pedal pops on twitter, or like them on facebook to keep up with where they’ll be and when.

On Saturday we rode our bikes up to the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market on the square and found three super great local musicians gracing the crowd with their talent.

There was this cowboy (above) playing Hank Williams Sr.’s “Your Cheatin’ Heart” which is a favorite of Brooke’s. I like it because it’s easy to play on my ukulele. We did a little jig as we passed him and were on to the next corner where these three (below) were playing smooth jazz! They were Brooke’s favorite becuase, well it’s a three piece band, on the street.

Lastly, was this firecracker playing reggae with nothing but his little guitar that is so worn down it has a hole in it. He was my favorite, but I have a soft spot for dreadlocks and skateboarders.

What kind of music is there at your local farmer’s market? Have you ever thought about popping out with your guitar and singing to the world? If so, we think you’re super brave and we’d love to hear about your experiences!

Tomorrow’s independence day and we’ll be spending it at my parents’ house grilling, watching the parade, and lighting smoke bombs (my personal favorite) and snakes. What are your fourth of july plans? Have you made your potato salad yet?